The Green Thumb Awards, presented by National Garden Bureau, honor both plants and products that represent the best new horticultural innovations and recognize that their unique features, growth habits, resilience and aesthetics. Each year the organization hands out these awards in two categories—the Professional’s Choice Awards judged by a panel of industry experts and the People’s Choice Awards voted on by thousands of home gardeners. Each voter is asked to judge the plant or product on five criteria: innovation, garden performance, appeal, durability, and reliability.

We’ll get to the 2025 Green Thumb Award Winners in a minute but first be aware that this year’s winners have a common thread, according to NGB President Alicain Carlson. “This year’s winners showcase a shift toward ‘purposeful gardening,’” she said. “From a disease resistant basil to plants for celebrations, these plants aren’t just beautiful—they also solve problems for the modern gardener.”

I’ll share the two winners in the Edible category here.

People’s Choice Green Thumb Award—Edible

Tomato BadaBing! F1 (Solanum lycopersicum). According to NGB, Tomato BadaBing! is a gamechanger in the large cherry (almost cocktail-sized) tomato category. It’s a variety that offers unprecedented protection against diseases that can devastate your garden crops—Septoria Leaf Spot, Early Blight and Late Blight.

Your 3-4 ft. tall BadaBing! crop will stay amazingly healthy all season long. In just 65 days your tomato plants will produce a wonderful crop of early-season tomatoes (50 or more per plant!) with outstanding flavor and juicy, crack-resistant 1.5-in. bright red fruits.

Professional’s Choice Green Thumb Award—Edible

Basil Treviso (Ocimum basilicum). How fitting that the Professional’s Choice winner pairs perfectly with the People’s Choice winner? Basil and tomato—a match made in heaven!

Treviso basil is an outstanding choice for any kitchen garden. It has a tight, compact and highly branched habit that suits larger containers. And not only does it offer delicious, slightly anise-flavored leaves, but it also stays tender longer, resisting bitterness after harvest and maintaining excellent leaf quality late into the season. An All-America Selections Award Winner also, the AAS Judges love its vigor, heat tolerance ability to flower later in the season—which is way it stays so tender. The AAS Judges also noted its bright green foliage resists oxidation, making this cultivar an ideal one for pesto and other fresh applications.

It’s still early in the seed-starting season, and both of these are available as seeds. Or, visit a garden center in spring to find transplants. Meanwhile, there are five other categories of Green Thumb Awards for you to check out. Find them on National Garden Bureau’s Green Thumb Awards page.